Student charged with pulling knife on teacher to buy Grand Theft Auto

Thursday

May 29, 2008 at 12:01 AMMay 29, 2008 at 11:20 PM

A 13-year-old Fuller Middle School student threatened a teacher with a nearly foot-long knife Tuesday, apparently in an effort to raise money to buy the hot – and violent - new video game, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Peter Reuell

A 13-year-old Fuller Middle School student threatened a teacher with a nearly foot-long knife Tuesday, apparently in an effort to raise money to buy the hot – and violent - new video game, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Police were called to the Flagg Drive school just before 10:30 a.m. by the school's principal, who said a student had pulled a knife on a teacher.

According to police, the incident occurred at about 10 a.m., just after the end of second period. As students filed out of the teacher's classroom, one young boy turned around and walked back in to retrieve a book from under his desk.

As the teacher sat at her desk, the student started to leave, but instead ducked behind the classroom door.

After she asked if the student was all right, the teen stepped from behind the door, brandishing an 11-inch knife with a black handle and a silver blade.

With just 20 feet separating the two, the student stepped toward the teacher, said her name, and asked, "Do you have $20? I need the money."

The teacher, now "very scared'' and worried she might become trapped in the classroom, tried to reason with the teen, but he persisted.

Though the incident ended when the teacher was able to get close enough to the student to snatch the knife from his hands and no one was injured, the motive police discovered was chilling.

"It appears he wanted to buy a game called 'Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas,' " Shastany said.

After his mother refused to buy the game for him, he added, the teen came up with the idea of demanding the money from his teacher, and spent two to three weeks planning his attack before carrying it out.

The teen was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, possession of a knife and possession of a dangerous weapon.